I’ve been slipping on my Sinatra surveillance. Turns out a remixed version of Nice ‘n’ Easy came out this spring. If you are mercifully unafflicted by audiophile disease this won’t matter, but for me this is a great improvement. (The original had too much reverb, among other problems.) Hear “You go To My Head”—surely one of Nelson Riddle’s greatest arrangements—as it was meant to be. And looks like Only the Lonely got the 50th anniversary treatment a few years back and was likewise aurally scrubbed. Some remixes from Sinatra’s later years (the Jobim albums, My Way) have had all reverb removed from the Voice, thus making him sound unnaturally close or even overdubbed—something that almost never happened since Frank’s whole thing was recording in the same space as the band. But these classic LPs have been updated gingerly and sound quite correct. Also, both contain some prize session outtakes I’ve never encountered before. Available wherever fine music is sold or streamed.
– Tom Fredrickson
